Commonly used opioids for pain management primarily target the mu opioid receptor. However, mu opioid receptor agonists often come with harmful side effects. Here, the authors report the results of two phase 3 trials of HSK21542 (anrikefon), a highly selective activator of peripheral kappa opioid receptor agonists, for postoperative pain treatment following abdominal surgery.
- Yinbo Zhong
- Younian Xu
- Min Yan